Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is an integration framework comprising a plurality of technologies and services that form middleware to enable integration of systems and applications across an enterprise. Various enterprise applications, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications and supply chain management applications, typically cannot readily communicate with one another in order to share information, such as data and business rules. This lack of communication leads to inefficiencies, such as identical data being stored in multiple locations, or processes being unable to be automated.
An Integration Framework, such as EAI, can link such applications within a single organization together in order to improve the efficiency and inter-operability of business processes, while avoiding the need for significant changes to existing applications and/or data structures. While such integration solutions have improved the ability of various enterprise applications to communicate with one another, they suffer from a number of limitations, which if overcome, could further improve the efficiency and inter-operability of such business processes. For example, a need remains for an integration framework that provides element based routing, integration of applications in any platform and dynamic configuration of both communication channels and endpoints.